This was published in Summer 2026 as the President’s Message in the Idaho Family Physician Magazine.

I still maintain that being a physician is the greatest job in the world. Why? Because few professions offer such a unique, behind-the-scenes view into people’s lives at moments that are deeply personal, consequential, and sacred. For many of us, becoming a physician was not simply a career choice; it was a calling rooted in duty, meaning, and a desire to help our fellow human beings. Family medicine, especially, reflects a rare blend of scientific knowledge, technical skill, humanitarian service, and compassionate care. We are asked to bring integrity, excellence, wisdom, and steady hands to our work every day. That is an extraordinary privilege.

At the same time, we practice in systems that too often devalue physicians and strain the physician-patient relationship. We carry immense responsibility and liability, even when the structures around us are not designed to support us. We navigate electronic medical record systems built more for billing and documentation than for care. We work in an environment where state and national policy decisions can interfere with clinical judgment and create new barriers for patients. These realities are exhausting, and it is important to name them honestly.

And yet, I still believe this work matters deeply. The core of what we do—and why we do it—has not changed. That truth became especially clear to me in 2022, when I learned I had a 26-centimeter retroperitoneal tumor. Until then, I had been largely asymptomatic. Suddenly, I was no longer the physician. I was the patient. What followed was a diagnosis of solitary fibrous tumor (a rare sarcoma), radiation therapy, major surgery, a long recovery, routine scans, the discovery of metastasis, and ongoing chemotherapy and immunotherapy. After surgery, there was a time when I truly did not know whether I would be able to return to the profession I love.

Of course, I worried about my family and the practical realities that come with uncertainty. But I was also deeply troubled by the thought of losing the ability to continue serving as a physician. During recovery, I felt profound gratitude for the physicians and care team members who had devoted themselves to excellence so they could help me in my hour of need. Experiencing medicine from the other side reminded me that what we do is not abstract. It is real, intimate, and life-changing. And as cliche as it may sound, I came away with a renewed conviction: if I had the chance to choose again, I would want to be a physician.

Physicians matter. Our patients need us. Our communities need us. Idaho needs well-trained, experienced, compassionate family physicians who are willing to stay in the work, especially when the work is hard. If all of us leave medicine in mid-career because the system is frustrating or because we feel unseen and unsupported, we lose more than clinicians. We lose mentors, advocates, leaders, and the steady experience that helps guide the next generation. We need physicians to remain engaged—not because the system makes it easy, but because what we do has real, life-altering impact for our patients and our communities.

That does not mean ignoring burnout, moral injury, or the urgent need for change. It means naming those realities and responding with intention. We must keep working to improve the system, reduce administrative burden, protect the physician-patient relationship, advocate for our patients, and care better for the healers among us. That work is central to the Idaho Academy of Family Physicians. The Academy exists to advocate for Idaho family physicians and their patients and to strengthen family medicine as the foundation of high-quality care in our state. Its work in advocacy, education, workforce development, and physician support gives each of us a place to connect, contribute, and lead.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, devalued, or discouraged, please know you are not alone. Find a friend. Join your medical society. Unite with physicians who understand both the privilege and the cost of this work. Find a way to keep contributing meaningfully to your patients and your community—whether that means reshaping your practice, pursuing direct primary care, working locums, teaching, mentoring, advocating, or simply asking for help and healing when you need it. In the entire state of Idaho, there are only about 1000 practicing family physicians.  That is a remarkably small number of people entrusted with an essential task. There is no substitute for a well-trained, experienced, compassionate family physician.  Each family physician in our state is unique and vitally important.

So I call on you, my colleagues, to carry forward with courage. If you are broken, seek healing. If you are weary, seek community. If you are uncertain, remember why you began. Being a doctor matters. What you do makes a difference. The lives you touch are changed because you choose to show up. I am proud to stand with you, proud to serve beside you, and proud to be one of you. Thank you for all you do for your patients, your communities, and family medicine in Idaho.

Peter M. Crane, MD, FAAFP

Peter M. Crane, MD, FAAFP is a board-certified family physician practicing in rural Idaho since 2011 when he was hired to replace the physician who delivered him.   He continues to provide full spectrum care in Montpelier, ID and has served as chief of staff for Bear Lake Memorial Hospital on multiple occasions. Dr. Crane serves as the 2026 President of the board of directors of the Idaho Academy of Family Physicians.  He is the founder of the Doctors Making A Difference podcast.